Just Lying Around
by CharryWotter
Summary: Sequel to Just Hanging Around. While Shawn's busy recovering, he sees something strange on the news. Before he can say "pineapple," Shawn's been sucked in to a whole new police case that is more intense than ever. The problem is, he can barely even walk. There is whump in this story. Enjoy :)
1. The Man on the News

Thank you to Zombie Pirate, Bemyryder, Psycho4Life, Jen, and Is This Not Reality for collectively convincing me to make this sequel a reality!

If you have not read Just Hanging Around, you probably should first :D

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Shawn groaned. He was definitely having a horrible day.

First, Henry had gone out fishing for the day, conveniently forgetting that his son was barely able to make it to the bathroom and back on a better day.

Everyone could talk all they want about how bad torture is, but the recovery's the real pain.

Shawn wished that Gus could stop by, as he often had, to watch TV with Shawn and keep him company with jerk chicken and pineapple smoothies, but Gus had point-blank refused. "I have work today, Shawn," he'd said.

Shawn didn't dare call Jules. Ever since their talk in the hospital, Jules always managed to find an excuse of why she couldn't find time to stop by. _Lassie_ had visited Shawn more times than Jules had! If that wasn't psycho, what was?

Sighing, Shawn mulled over his predicament. At this point, even awkward Lassie or bouncy McNab would be preferred to bed rest.

"It's not like I'm dying," Shawn complained, his throat hurting at the effort. _But not as much as before._

And while Shawn was still recovering, he was a lot better than before. The tube had been removed from his patched-up lungs, and his ribs were protected with plaster. The world didn't spin quite as much when Shawn stood up, and even the gashes covering his back and legs were scabbed over and in the first stages of scarring.

Two weeks ago, Shawn had been in a coma in the hospital. It had only taken a week to recover before he was allowed out, and even then, staying at Henry's made the time pass much slower than it should.

Ignoring the pain in his throat, Shawn continued to mull over his situation. "Why did dad insist on keeping me at his house, when he escapes at the first chance he gets?"

Admittedly, it was kind of nice having his father hover around him. For the first time, their relationship was not strained. Apparently staying in a coma for a month did that to people.

Shawn just wished that he had company, and something other to do besides lay on his old bed in his old room and wish for company.

It wasn't really about company, either. Shawn just needed something—anything—to do. A case would be his top choice (after a movie marathon with Gus but before a romantic dinner with Jules), but that would be a slight problem given the weakness in his legs.

Physical therapy was something Shawn could do, but number one, he'd need an appointment—the next session being scheduled for next week—and number two, it made his legs hurt and Shawn did not need more pain in his life.

Maybe the news would give him something to have a "psychic" vision about. Then he could just call the station, and WHAM! The case would be his.

Unfortunately, getting to the TV would require going down the stairs, which Shawn had not done since first coming to his father's house.

Another minute laying in silence, and Shawn had made up his mind. To the TV!

Sitting up, Shawn waited before his headache subsided and the spots in his vision faded. His ribs ached, but he still managed to stand up with little to no effort. Shawn pathetically hobbled across the room, clinging on to the door handle to stay upright when he got to it.

When Shawn looked down at himself, he was suddenly very glad that no one was coming to the house. After all, who would see Shawn's old t-shirt and pineapple boxers and not judge him? Besides Jules, of course.

Also, now that he was thinking of it (and conveniently taking a rest, still clinging to the door), Shawn imagined that his hair must be a mess. Shawn normally had bedhead, but this bedhead was the criminal mastermind of all bedheads.

However, Shawn knew he was still luckier than most people. Henry, for example, had no hair at all! And Lassie, well all you'd need to do was take one look at Lassie and you'd understand.

Realizing that he was still pathetically hanging onto his door, Shawn straightened up and quickly hobbled over to the stairs.

Now came the real challenge.

Sliding down in a cardboard box was out of the question. He could, but it would be a waste unless he filmed it. Even then, Gus would insist on critiquing his style and posture. "I could do it much better," Gus would insist. And Shawn knew he could.

So instead, Shawn slowly sat down, clutching his side heavily, and took the steps one by one. Halfway down, Shawn was panting too heavily, so he took a moment to breathe. Now he was exponentially glad that no one was coming. If Shawn was so weak that he could barely get down the stairs…

After what seemed like forever, Shawn was sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Pulling himself up on the railing, Shawn slowly hobbled into the living room.

He fell onto the couch.

Bad idea. Although falling had provided relief to his aching body, it had put pressure on his healing ribs and aggravated the cuts on his back.

Who would've guessed that Yang could do so much damage?

Ignoring the memories of her time with him, Shawn leaned over and grabbed the remote. Turning it on, he flicked past several channels before stopping on the news.

Lassie would be _so_ annoyed when he heard Shawn's vision! Going downstairs was the right decision.

But it seemed that fate had a little more in store for Shawn.

As he watched the person on the screen talk, Shawn could only find two words to say.

"That's Gus."

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So, what did you think? PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. The Syringe in the Blazer

Sorry that there was a long wait!

Thank you very much if you reviewed!

Jen: Thanks to your warning, I managed to capture the pineapple smoothies! Shawn's now sulking in the corner :P

Psycho4Life: Thank you so so much!

Guest: Thanks for the compliment :)

X-X-Midnight Star-X-X: Sorry for leaving you on such a cliffhanger! Thanks for your review :D

Bemyryder: I'm glad you're excited! Enjoy this chapter!

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 **Previously**

 _Who would've guessed that Yang could do so much damage?_

 _Ignoring the memories of her time with him, Shawn leaned over and grabbed the remote. Turning it on, he flicked past several channels before stopping on the news._

 _Lassie would be_ so _annoyed when he heard Shawn's vision! Going downstairs was the right decision._

 _But it seemed that fate had a little more in store for Shawn._

 _As he watched the person on the screen talk, Shawn could only find two words to say._

 _"That's Gus."_

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Of course, Gus was not alone on the screen. There was Lassie, too, and a reporter. "Shawn's my best friend," Gus was saying, shooting a pleading look at Lassie. Behind him, something was sparkling. Shawn squinted. It was the ocean, right near Psych!

"How long have you known each other?" the reporter asked with interest. She pushed her blond hair behind her shoulder, and Shawn noticed something in her blazer pocket.

"Since we were five," Gus answered with another look at Lassiter.

Lassie looked more uncomfortable than Gus, however, and he looked like he wanted to disappear when the resporter turned to him.

"So, Detective Lassiter," she began. "You're friends with Shawn as well?"

Shawn leaned forward with interest.

"Well, Spen—Shawn has been working with the department for around seven years. We have solved many cases together."

As Lassiter cleared his throat uncomfortably, Shawn saw clearly for the first time what was sticking out of the reporter's pocket. It was a syringe.

"I think that's all for today. This has been an exclusive interview about the psychic detective Shawn Spencer. All you viewers out there, have a great day." The reporter reported. She smiled, and Shawn could see that her face was tight with anticipation.

As commercials started playing, Shawn picked up his phone with lightning speed, ignoring the twinge of pain it caused his ribs. "Pick up, Lassie, pick up," he muttered.

"Spencer." Lassiter didn't sound too thrilled about Shawn's call.

"Hey, Lassie!" Shawn said cheerfully, though it hurt his throat. Best to keep up appearances. "I just got a big psychic vision! It's that—"

"Here's Guster. Tell him." Shawn heard the phone being passed. He shook his leg impatiently.

"What is it, Shawn?" Gus asked. There was a pause. "Did you see the news report?"

"Yes," Shawn said in a tight voice. "Listen up: that reporter's keeping a syringe in her pocket!"

"Shawn," Gus said, obviously annoyed. "That's not necessarily a problem. Some medications are taken like that; there could be a thousand explanations."

Shawn opened his mouth to give a retort when he heard a scream from the other end.

The line went dead.

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Lassiter groaned in annoyance. First, Spencer was calling about some ridiculous vision, then Guster collapses in front of his own office! "Now I have to get you up," he griped to the motionless body on the ground in front of him.

Guster moaned in pain. He seemed to wake up. "Shawn…was right," Guster wheezed out, laying on the pavement. "The syringe. Call…911."

With that, Guster fell unconscious again.

Lassiter growled. What had Guster and Spencer gotten into this time? He quickly dialed 911, wondering what he would do if Guster turned out to be okay. If nothing else, he could blame Guster for telling him to call.

But something struck him as odd. What did Guster mean, Spencer was right? He quickly called the real/fake (Lassiter was still undecided about what had happened while they were captive) psychic. Spencer picked up before the line started ringing.

"What is it, Lassie? What happened?" Spencer asked, the happiness from his voice replaced with a tired urgency.

"Guster collapsed and told me to call 911 right after the news crew left. He said something about you being right. What was you 'vision' about?"

Lassiter could almost hear Spencer's self-satisfied smile as he responded. "I had a vision that the reporter had a dangerous syringe in the pocket of her blazer. I guess the spirits were right."

As Lassiter listened to Spencer's nonsense, the paramedics arrived and loaded Guster in the back of the ambulance. "Spencer, if you want to see Guster, he'll be in the hospital. Good-bye." Lassiter made to hang up, but Spencer's broken, quiet response stopped him.

"Wait."

"What is it, Spencer?"

"I can't get over there," Shawn mumbled.

Lassiter remembered what bad condition Spencer had been in, having been hurt and in a coma less than half a month ago. "Fine. I'll pick you up and take you. I need Guster's statement anyway, if you turn out to be right."

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When Gus woke up, he saw that he was in a hospital. Shawn and Lassiter were sitting on either side of his bed. "How are you feeling?" Shawn asked.

Gus responded without thinking. "How am I feeling? What about you? You sound dead!"

"That's just because I'm undead." Shawn responded with a smile.

"If you get to be undead, then why can't I get to be a wizard?" Gus whined. He couldn't understand Shawn's dislike of all things Harry Potter.

Shawn groaned in mock discomfort, although he shifted uncomfortably. "Don't be a sugarless desert, Gus. You know that zombies are awesome."

"Shawn!" Gus spluttered.

Shawn opened his mouth, but Lassiter cut him off. "Okay, cut the crap, how do you feel, Guster?"

Gus thought for a minute. "My head aches and I feel weak, but aside from that, I'm cool. Why?"

"Why?" Lassiter looked up to the ceiling exasperatedly. "Guster, you're in a hospital! After you collapsed! We even had the doctors check your blood for poison, for heaven's sake!"  
Shawn crossed his arms sulkily. "Actually, _I_ had the doctors check, while Lassie here grumbled about being my ride and being stuck here with paranoid people!"

Lassiter glared at Shawn. "Well, Guster wasn't poisoned!"

"I'm afraid he was," said a voice. Gus turned to see the doctor coming in.

"How bad was it?" asked Shawn curiously. "Was he like, kind of poisoned?"

The doctor shook his head.

"Frankly, I'm surprised Gus is still alive."

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What do you think? Good, bad, intriguing?

Coming up…more chapters! :P


	3. The Poison in the Bloodstream

Thank you for the reviews! Sorry it's been so long!

Psycho4Life: Once again, thank you so much!

Nayha: Thanks for the encouragement :D

bemyryder: I'm glad you enjoy it! More cliffhangers coming up :P

: Thank you for reviewing!

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 **Previously**

 _Lassiter glared at Shawn. "Well, Guster wasn't poisoned!"_

 _"I'm afraid he was," said a voice. Gus turned to see the doctor coming in._

 _"How bad was it?" asked Shawn curiously. "Was he like, kind of poisoned"_

 _The doctor shook his head._

 _"Frankly, I'm surprised Gus is still alive."_

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Lassiter narrowed his eyes at the doctor and growled, "You better not be messing with us. I am Head Detective of the Santa Barbara Police Department."

The doctor only smiled. "I can assure you, Detective, that I would not lie about my patient's condition, which is actually very serious. It seems something called Dimethylmercury, which is usually slow-acting, was added to Gus' bloodstream earlier today. Luckily, Gus had a small allergic reaction to the poison, which we were able to flush out of his system."

Lassiter blinked and pulled his phone out. "Well, in that case," he said, dialing Chief Vick's number, "We have a murderer to catch."

Shawn turned to Gus, who was already shaking his head. "No, Shawn," Gus said with conviction. "No, no, no. I was poisoned today! Somebody tried to kill me!"

"Gus!" Shawn whined. "That's why we have to get on this case! It was meant for us!"

Gus raised his eyebrow. "And how do you want to go about catching the bad guy? Your ribs are still healing, your legs are weak, and _I have just been poisoned!_ "

"Gus is right," chimed in the doctor. "He should not be doing any strenuous activity anytime soon. And from what I hear about you, Shawn, it seems you should not be hunting down a killer either, not in that state."

Shawn shot a glare at the doctor and turned back to Gus. "Buddy, please? We can take it easy! I promise!" he added hurriedly, seeing the look his best friend was giving him.

"Spencer! Close your mouth!" Lassie shouted. "I'm on the phone! Sorry about that," he said to Chief Vick. "Spencer is trying to convince Guster to help on the case."

"Why not?" asked the Chief, smiling as she listened to Shawn's attempts at convincing Gus. "They could be useful on this case. Wasn't it Shawn in the first place who had the vision?" She smiled again as she listened to Lassiter rage on the other end.

Gus was mirroring Lassie. "No, no, no, Shawn!"

Shawn crossed his arms and pouted, but turned when he heard what Lassie was saying.

"Chief, absolutely not. Spencer has hindered enough investigations—"

"Gimme that, Lassie!" Shawn snatched the phone from the detective's hands. "Chief, what's up? I have a strong vision saying you want me on this case!"

On the other end, Chief Vick rolled her eyes. She knew Shawn was not psychic, but he was a good detective. "That is true, ."

Shawn held up a fist for Gus to bump. Gus stared pointedly ahead.

Lassie wrestled the phone out of Shawn's hands. "Don't tell me you're putting him on this case!" Lassie said, hoping against hope.

"I am. Mr. Spencer is officially hired."

Shawn, who was listening in, gave out a whoop that he immediately regretted. "Dude," he whined to Gus. "Remind me never to make that sound again. My throat just tore itself up!"

"Hanging does tend to do that to a person," Gus remarked with satisfaction. _Thank you, karma._

"Gus," the doctor cut in to his thoughts. "There's someone here to see you."

Shawn perked up. "Is it the pizza guy? I ordered a pizza, and it's been ages!"

The doctor shook his head and turned back to Gus. "She says she met you today and wanted to see how you were."

Lassie turned his head sharply. "It's not the lady from the news, is it?"

"Malena Walker, the one who just tried to kill me with a syringe? I hope not!"

The visitor walked in. She had blond hair and was wearing a bright pink blazer.

"Hello," said Malena Walker. "I've been framed for a murder and I need your help."

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"So you're telling us that you didn't try to kill Gus?" Shawn asked, slurping down the last of his pineapple smoothie.

Malena rolled her eyes. "We've been over this! A week ago, someone was poisoned and I found the syringe in my blazer during the news report! If someone tried to poison Gus, it may have been the same person, but it certainly wasn't me!"

Gus pulled his chair up to get a better look at the syringe, which was laying on the table, where it had been since they arrived at the smoothie shop.

It had taken a long time to get checked out of the hospital, and Lassie, seething with rage by then, had driven off without them. Shawn and Gus had had no choice but to go along with what Malena was saying, since she was the only one with a vehicle.

Plus, the reporter hadn't tried to kill Gus again yet, which was a huge bonus.

They didn't have much time. "We don't have much time," Gus said, glancing behind his shoulder. "Either Lassie takes you in for the murder or I get killed by the murderer!"

Malena nodded her head hurriedly. Too hurriedly. Gus narrowed his eyes. He still didn't trust her.

"Gus," Shawn said, noticing the glance his friend was giving Malena. "Talk with me for a moment."

Gus obediently followed Shawn to the corner, but not without sneaking a glance over his shoulder to make sure Malena was not about to poison him again.

"What is it, Shawn?"

Shawn smiled. "Malena's innocent!"

"How do you know, Shawn?" Gus looked up to the roof of the café. "I've been poisoned, and she has the syringe! I still feel queasy! What if she's using us to protect her from jail, even though she is guilty!"

"It's simple!" Shawn responded. "First of all, murderers don't go around in bright pink blazers—or bright pink anything, for that matter! Second of all, she would've killed you by now if she wanted to! Third—" his eyes darted around, making sure they were alone. "I know who the real killer is!"

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As always, please review!


	4. The Doctor in the Bathroom

Thank you as always to everyone who reviewed! Sorry for the long wait!

bemyryder: That's a hilarious connection :D and I'm glad you liked it!

Nayha: Even one word can go a long way! Thank you so much!

Psycho4Life: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jen: Wow! How are you so psychic? Every time you have a new vision, it turns out to be true!

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 **Previously**

 _Shawn smiled. "Malena's innocent!"_

 _"How do you know, Shawn?" Gus looked up to the roof of the café. "I've been poisoned, and she has the syringe! I still feel queasy! What if she's using us to protect her from jail, even though she is guilty!"_

 _"It's simple!" Shawn responded. "First of all, murderers don't go around in bright pink blazers—or bright pink anything, for that matter! Second of all, she would've killed you by now if she wanted to! Third—" his eyes darted around, making sure they were alone. "I know who the real killer is!"  
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Malena looked over at Shawn and Gus from the table and tapped a finger to her watch. Gus pulled Shawn over next to the door to the bathroom. "What if she heard that, Shawn?" Gus whispered furiously. "She's a cold blooded murderer!"  
Shawn rolled his eyes. As he opened his mouth, Gus could see Shawn was "doing the thing," where he darted his eyes around and took in every detail of the room.

When Shawn finished, he closed his mouth and held up a hand. "What is it, Shawn?" Gus asked.

Shawn put a finger down.

"Don't mess with me, Shawn!"

Shawn put another finger down. Now only three fingers were up.

From inside the bathroom a toilet flushed.

Shawn put one more finger down. Two.

"Who is the killer?" Gus asked impatiently.

Another finger down. One left.

As the bathroom door swung open, Shawn put his last finger down. And walking out of the stall, with a smirk on his face, was none other than Dr. Pines.

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"Doctor Pines?" Gus asked in confusion. He turned to his friend. "Shawn, what is your doctor doing here?"

Dr. Pines smiled his warm smile, but somehow the smile was more evil than friendly. "Yes, Shawn, why don't you tell him."

Shawn glared at his old doctor. "If not for you, I would've healed by now! You put me in that coma!" He reached out and pushed Dr. Pines.

"Very good." Dr. Pines smiled wider and shoved Shawn back.

Shawn, in his weakened state (apparently due to Dr. Pines, although Gus still had no idea how), reeled backwards and crashed into a server coming out of the kitchen.

As food tumbled everywhere, Dr. Pines good-naturedly smiled and offered a hand to Shawn. "Sorry," he told the waiter, his voice dripping with a fakeness only Shawn and Gus heard. "My friend here is still recovering."

Shawn pushed Dr. Pines' arm off of him, breathing harshly. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

Seeing the pain in his friend pushed Gus over the edge. "What did you do?" he shouted at Dr. Pines, who only smiled at his rage.

The server backed away nervously. Dr. Pines laughed. "I'm sorry for him, too," he told the young worker. "Dear Gus usually stays at the mental hospital."

"What are you talking about?" Gus asked, offended. "I'm sorry for Dr. Pines. He's mistaken," Gus said, addressing the frightened server. "I actually sell drugs and ride around in a blueberry, and my friend here's a psychic."

Shawn, still leaning against the wall, nodded tiredly, but did not back Gus up.

Dr. Pines knew that he'd won. "Come with me," he said, taking Shawn and Gus by their arms.

Gus pulled back his other arm to punch Dr. Pines, but he heard a click and felt heavy metal touching the back of his head. Dr. Pines had a gun.

And he was kidnapping them in plain sight!

"Nothing to see here," Dr. Pines told the customers in the café. To Gus, he hissed, "One word and you're dead."

As they left the store, Gus could see Malena standing up and looking after them. Her face was full of confusion. _Evil,_ Gus tried to mouth, but he couldn't tell what part she understood.

On the other side of Dr. Pines, Shawn was struggling fruitlessly. As they reached a white van with the back open, Shawn slapped his old doctor right across the face.

Dr. Pines fell to the floor from shock, but was up in an instant. "If that's how you want it!" he whispered.

Gus felt a rough arm pushing him against the van. Dr. Pines laughed, and the next thing Gus knew, Shawn was screaming and pain was blossoming across his whole head.

Then all was darkness.

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Shawn couldn't stop cursing himself. He had known it was Dr. Pines! Ever since the doctor had not healed him (even now), ever since he'd been in a coma listening to the evil man talk, Shawn had known something was up.

Then, hearing Malena's story had triggered his memory: the other victim killed like Gus had been Dr. Pines' patient as well!

Yes, he knew.

But it was too late.

As Gus was pistol-whipped, Shawn felt guilt seep through his body. He had been the one to slap their kidnapper! Gus shouldn't be the one punished!

Shawn knew that Malena wouldn't think they deserted her. After all, Shawn had believed her! More importantly, she was their ride!

Shawn could only hope that Malena could make Lassie see sense.

He looked over to Dr. Pines, who was tying the unconscious Gus up. As the doctor worked, Shawn quickly took out his phone and dialed Lassie.

Dr. Pines turned around, and Shawn quickly stuffed the phone back into his pocket. _Please connect, please connect._

Dr. Pines roughly bound Shawn and threw him in the back of the van, where he landed on Gus with a thud.

Faintly, Shawn could hear a ringing from his back pocket.

It was his only hope.

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Plot twist!

And don't worry if you don't understand the whole Dr. Pines situation! More will be explained next chapter!

For those of you who haven't read Just Hanging Around, you should! Dr. Pines made his first appearance there!


	5. The Psychic in the Van

If you reviewed, THANK YOU!

Psycho4Life: Honestly, thank you so much. I can always count on a review :D

Jen: Thanks for the smoothies! Shawn tried to take them, so I whumped him hard this chapter! Enjoy!

Nayha: Sorry that it's been so long since I last updated! I hope you like this chapter :)

Guest (IGetBoredEasily): Thank you so much for that long review! That pun was amazing and helped me update faster :P

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 **Previously**

 _Shawn could only hope that Malena could make Lassie see sense._

 _He looked over to Dr. Pines, who was tying the unconscious Gus up. As the doctor worked, Shawn quickly took out his phone and dialed Lassie._

 _Dr. Pines turned around, and Shawn quickly stuffed the phone back into his pocket._ Please connect, please connect.

 _Dr. Pines roughly bound Shawn and threw him in the back of the van, where he landed on Gus with a thud._

 _Faintly, Shawn could hear a ringing from his back pocket._

 _It was his only hope._

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Lassiter jerked back from his computer when his phone rang. He cursed when he saw the caller ID. Spencer.

Chief Vick had insisted that Lassiter not arrest that reporter before he had more evidence, so while Spencer and Guster were probably making friends with a killer in their weakened states and plotting against him, Lassiter was stuck at the police station doing research.

And then, to make it worse, nothing Lassiter found seemed to make sense.

First of all, there was a similar death to Guster's near-miss one week ago. There was no correlation, however. The other victim was young, early twenties, blond, female, and had never met Guster before in her life.

Secondly, at the time of the murder, the reporter had been live on camera. So if she wasn't innocent, she had a partner.

True, Lassiter was bored and angry. He wanted nothing more than to forget everything but the sweet scent of ammo and the kick of a gun at the range, but the case had to be solved.

However, that didn't mean that Lassiter was going to pick up the phone. Especially not for Spencer.

"O'Hara!" Lassiter barked out of frustration. His partner had not shown up for work that day, although it may have had something to do with the fact that she was evading Spencer ever since he got out of the coma, not wanting to rush things with him or scare him off.

Lassiter respected his partner's wishes, but the lost, heartbroken look Spencer gave every time he realized Lassiter came alone was kind of sad.

Still, that definitely did not give O'Hara permission to skip work!

Luckily, Buzz McNab hurried in with news. "I heard you calling for Juliet," the policeman said, looking uncomfortable.

"What's your point?" Lassiter snapped. He never meant to be so curt to McNab, but if McNab really was to become a detective, he'd have to learn to follow orders just like Lassiter himself had been taught by his father.

"Well, sir," McNabb explained. "Juliet's out on an undercover mission. She begged to be assigned on the case once she heard about Gus almost being killed. Chief agreed." McNab smiled, but then tensed and became even more hesitant than before. "I'm to, uh, be your new partner until Juliet is back."

Lassiter frowned. "Fine. Go research the poison and see where it is available."

The tall detective hurried away, and Lassiter's phone buzzed. He looked down. Spencer had left a message.

That struck Lassiter as very odd. Usually, Spencer either called Lassiter an irritatingly large number of times until he picked up, or the fake psychic would waltz into the police station with Gus at his side.

That got Lassiter to thinking. Spencer hadn't been to the station since before he was hanged. Lassiter actually found the station to be rather gloomy without the cheerful, joke-cracking detective. Not that he'd ever tell Spencer that. Also, their solve rate had gone down.

Lassiter furiously punched the "play" button to hear the voicemail. If this was some trick of Spencer's…

 _"Gus, are you alright?"_ Spencer's voice sounded tinny coming out of Lassiter's phone, but there was no mistaking his weariness and worry. _"Dr. Pines got you hard. I'm sorry, man."_ There was the sound of a crashing coming through and Spencer cursed. _"I'm so sorry, Gus! This is all my fault!"_ In the background, some sort of engine or machinery turned off. A voice, not Spencer's, came through the phone. _"What do you think you're—"_ The voicemail cut off.

Lassiter cursed again.

Something serious was going on.

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As the van's engine cut off, Shawn could not stop hating his temper.

He'd been the one to hit Dr. Pines, but Gus had been pistol-whipped! And during the drive, Gus stayed unconscious.

Shawn heard footsteps coming around to the back of the van, and turned to Gus, who was blinking confusedly.

And then Shawn remembered: Lassie! But as luck would have it, the second Shawn pulled out his phone, the van doors opened.

Dr. Pines quickly snatched the phone from Shawn. "What do you think you're doing?" He threw the phone to the ground and crushed it under his foot.

Shawn looked up at the evil doctor and raised an eyebrow. "I can't call my girlfriend to say good-bye?"

Dr. Pines must have believed the obvious lie (or was it a lie? Shawn smirked internally at what Lassie's reaction would be if he found out Shawn had called him his girlfriend), since he shrugged and raised his gun. "No more phone calls. Get the weak one out of the van."

As Shawn tried to help Gus out of the van, he felt an immense pain in his ribs. The car drive in the back of the van without a seatbelt had done nothing to spare his injuries, and Shawn collapsed to the ground, wheezing.

"Get up." Dr. Pines ordered.

As Shawn rose, swaying, his vision darkened and spots danced across his eyes. Luckily, Gus, although still unsteady from what was most likely a concussion, was there for Shawn to lean on, or the pseudo psychic would have gone crashing back down to the ground.

"What do you want from us?" Shawn groaned, the pain in his ribs blocking out his internal filter.

Dr. Pines shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."

He roughly pulled Gus away from Shawn. Gus blinked slowly and held up one of his hands.

Shawn, without support, crashed to the ground.

He could feel cuts reopening on the back of his head, and the pain in his ribs multiplied.

Shawn tried to breathe small breaths, and it was all he could do not to pass out.

Just your average kidnapping.

Typical.

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What did you think?

Please review!


	6. The Evil Plan in the Making

Thank you Nayha and Psycho4Life for your amazing reviews!

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 **Previously**

 _"What do you want from us?" Shawn groaned, the pain in his ribs blocking out his internal filter._

 _Dr. Pines shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."_

 _He roughly pulled Gus away from Shawn. Gus blinked slowly and held up one of his hands._

 _Shawn, without support, crashed to the ground._

 _He could feel cuts reopening on the back of his head, and the pain in his ribs multiplied._

 _Shawn tried to breathe small breaths, and it was all he could do not to pass out._

 _Just your average kidnapping._

 _Typical._

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Lassiter may not be able to do many things, but following a lead was something he was made for. After searching the name Dr. Pines, Lassiter found that the doctor did have access to the Dimethylmercury, and had not been at the hospital at the time of the woman's death.

Meanwhile, McNab had interviewed the camera crew that had witnessed Guster's poisoning, and a good deal of them said that the man in the picture he held had indeed been there and had talked to the reporter Malena.

So it was Dr. Pines.

This made Lassiter very angry for two reasons. First, Spencer had been the one to solve it before him, even if he may have been in danger. Second, Lassiter had visited Dr. Pines and chatted with him while Spencer was in the coma!

Reflecting on it, Lassiter wondered how Spencer even was in that coma. Sure, his brain had been starved of oxygen and his windpipe had collapsed. That doesn't make people brain dead!

A sudden suspicion began creeping upon Lassiter. He quickly picked up his phone and called the hospital Spencer had stayed at.

"This is Head Detective Lassiter of the SBPD," he said to the female worker who picked up the call. "I need some information about one of your previous patients."

"Which one would that be?" the woman answered.

"Spencer. Shawn Spencer." As Lassiter talked on the phone, he waved McNab over. On a post-it, he scrawled: _See if you can contact Spencer or Guster. If not, get that reporter over here for questioning._ McNab took the note and gave Lassiter a thumbs up before going over to his own desk.

"What information do you need?"

Lassiter wasted no time in responding. "I need a full list of the surgeries Spencer went through and the medicines he took while at the hospital."

There was a pause on the other end. Finally the woman responded. " has quite an extensive list. Would you mind if we emailed it to you?"

"Yes," Lassiter answered impatiently.

"Is there anything else you need?" the woman on the other line asked, not put off by his angry tone.

"Is there?"

"No," the woman said quickly. "He's taking time off."

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Unfortunately not," the woman replied apologetically.

"That's all I need," Lassiter answered, deep in thought. Had the doctor simply run off or had he actually taken Spencer and Guster hostage?

"Alright. If there's anything you need, you can just call us back!" The line went dead.

Lassiter opened his laptop and refreshed his email. The list from the hospital came up almost immediately.

Lassiter scanned the list for anything out of the ordinary. About halfway down, he found what he was looking for.

Apparently Spencer had been put on the drug mannitol, which was used in medically induced comas. There was hard, factual proof that was up to something and that Spencer was in danger.

Right on time, McNab came up to Lassiter. "I have Malena in Interrogation Room A," he said, as eager as ever. "She insists that Shawn and Gus left the café they were at without telling her anything. A man walked out with them."

"Check the security tapes." As McNab smiled in response, Lassiter wondered how the man could be so perpetually happy.

"Already did, Detective," McNab said. "I got them on my computer and watched them. Malena's story checks out. Actually, it seems like the man forced Shawn and Gus to leave. Before they left, they got into a small fight."

Lassiter raised his eyebrow. "Show me the tapes."

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Shawn came to consciousness in a bare room, still bound and propped up against the stone wall. Gus was next to him, awake and sitting against the wall.

"How are you, Shawn?" Gus asked, the worry in his voice evident.

Shawn shifted, his ribs and cuts complaining. "I'm fine," he lied, his voice raspy. Shawn resisted the urge to put a hand to his throbbing head. "How are you doing, buddy? The last time I saw you, you were unconscious."

Gus grimaced. "My head hurts. Actually, my whole body hurts. How do we always get ourselves in these situations?"

Shawn shook his head, regretting it when the pressure in his head increased exponentially. "Luck, I guess."

Their talk was interrupted by Dr. Pines, who entered through the door across the room. "How are you liking the accommodations?" the kidnapper asked sarcastically.

"Well, the room could use some decorating." Shawn looked around. "Why are we here, actually?"

Gus winced, expecting the doctor to get angry, but Dr. Pines only laughed.

"I was waiting for you to ask!" he said eagerly. "See, I'd been planning to murder that woman for a long time. When you came into the hospital, I knew it was time. I easily put you in a coma so you'd be out of the way, and I killed her using the poison. The only problem was that your friend works in pharmaceuticals."

Gus turned to Shawn. "It's true, you know. Your doctor has a point." It was a possibility that he was not entirely lucid.

Dr. Pines ignored Gus. "I knew that he'd eventually question why you were in a coma. Without the allergic reaction to my poison, Gus would be dead!"

"Impressive," Shawn answered in a monotone. "Why'd you want to kill that woman?"

Dr. Pines shook his head regretfully. "She was a patient of mine, but actually went in a coma. Turns out, she talks in her sleep. I learned enough about her to feel bad about killing her, but when she talked about her hidden treasure, I knew I had to strike. And I did!"  
Shawn closed his eyes to prevent the flashes of pain from overcoming him. "Good for you, doc."

Dr. Pines smiled down at them.

"Now it's time for you to die."

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Oh, no! A cliffhanger!

Did you like Dr. Pines' story? Is there a special kind of whump or any kinds of conversations you want to see?

Also, don't worry! Shules will appear at the end!


	7. The Gun in the Security Footage

Once more, thank you so much Nayha and Psycho4Life for the amazing reviews!

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 **Previously**

 _"Why'd you want to kill that woman?"_

 _Dr. Pines shook his head regretfully. "She was a patient of mine, but actually went in a coma. Turns out, she talks in her sleep. I learned enough about her to feel bad about killing her, but when she talked about her hidden treasure, I knew I had to strike. And I did!"_

 _Shawn closed his eyes to prevent the flashes of pain from overcoming him. "Good for you, doc."_

 _Dr. Pines smiled down at them._

 _"Now it's time for you to die."_

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Lassiter jumped into his car, McNab following close behind. The case was very close to solved. The security footage had been the final straw. They'd identified the man in the security footage as Dr. Pines, which didn't necessarily prove anything—but there was a flash of light.

When Dr. Pines had led Spencer and Guster out of the building, a small sliver of light bounced off something in Dr. Pines' hand into the camera. And that something looked very similar to a 1985 Browning Hi Power 9mm. Which was being held up to Guster's head.

Furthermore, in the tapes, Spencer had counted down Pines' appearance as if he'd known who the killer was. Lassiter thought back to the time when Spencer had been tied up and had a panic attack when Lassiter had finally agreed to him being a psychic. Nothing made sense. How could Spencer solve crimes the way he did if he wasn't psychic?

A horn jerked Lassiter back into his car, and he saw that the light had turned green. "Where are we going again?" he muttered to McNab as he drove forward.

"Well, Dr. Pines' car was found parked outside of an abandoned house, and our guess is Gus and Shawn are there also—"

Lassiter cut him off. "I already know that. What's the address?"

McNab told him.

As Lassiter followed the directions, he could not help but feel anxious. Spencer's last kidnapping had resulted in him being caught, McNab being shot, and an overwhelming feeling of failure.

This time, everything had to be perfect.

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Shawn hurt. He was thirsty and tired, his ribs and head ached, his cuts were reopened and stinging, and his throat felt irritated.

Gus hurt, too. He also needed water and sleep, and while he wasn't banged up from the time Yang kidnapped him, the pistol-whipping had given him a large bruise with a tremendous headache.

All in all, not a good day.

Dr. Pines had left the two friends to sit and wait to die, because what else was there to do? Shawn had suggested games and jokes and plans, but after ten minutes, the excitement had died and they had took up the positions they were currently in.

Gus was wedged in the corner of the room, in a cramped angle that made his back ache. Shawn, meanwhile, was spread out on the ground in the middle of the room, staring up at the ceiling.

It was Shawn who first broke the silence, his voice a scratchy whisper. "Dude, how much longer are we going to have to wait?"

Gus glared in his direction, his eyes hazy and unfocused. "Shawn, let me rot here in peace."

Shawn chuckled, but it was void of humor. "I don't want to die. Jules…" he trailed off, but Gus understood.

"Don't worry, there's no need to apologize to her!" Gus snorted. "If anything, she should be apologizing to you."

Shawn clutched his ribs and groaned. "Jules didn't do anything wrong. I just didn't…get the chance to propose."

"How sweet!" Dr. Pines' voice dripped with mockery as he entered the room. "Too bad you'll die before you can say 'I do!'"

Shawn struggled to sit up and scooted over next to Gus.

Seeing Shawn open his mouth to start a fight, Gus knew he had to play it cool or his murderer would get even more angry. "Mr. Pines," Gus said, talking like a true pharmaceutical salesman. "If you don't mind, I think my friend here and I would like the details about our deaths. How do you plan to carry them out?"

Dr. Pines' looked taken aback at Gus' tone and his question. "Well, I was planning on shooting you and burying the bodies."

When Gus began speaking again, Shawn cracked up into silent laughter at his friend's professionalism. "Would you be so kind as to contact my parents?" Gus asked with a polite tilt of the head, despite the pain it caused him. "I'm sure they'd like the chance to say good-bye."

Shawn slouched against the wall. "My dad will want to know, too. Otherwise, he'll kill me for not telling him, so I'll be doubly dead, which will be a very awkward situation," he said with a hint of irony.

"Of course not?" Dr. Pines said, although his uncertainty at their polite mannerisms gave his voice a small hitch at the end.

Gus opened his mouth to ask another polite question, but the pain in his head proved to be too much, and he lost consciousness.

Shawn knew he had to keep the ball rolling, or else Dr. Pines would kill them. Luckily, Shawn was good at stalling. Unluckily, he was not good at the whole "polite" thing.

"What an ingenious plan," Shawn told Dr. Pines. The doctor leaned against the opposite wall. Shawn continued. "I mean, who would've guessed. The smart doctor, lots of patients, generally liked. And of course. You had to frame poor Malena. The syringe was a dead giveaway."

Dr. Pines raised an eyebrow. "You do know that I explained that all to you already. If you're trying to do a nice, end-of-movie wrap-up, you're kind of late."

Shawn did not hear him, caught up in the haze of pain that stemmed from his injuries. "And when you heard that your patient had hidden treasure, you struck. Who wouldn't? Killing her was easy—those poisons were easy to come by. The only problem: the handsome, talented psychic. Had to get him out of the way. And you did! A coma was the perfect plan." Shawn dipped his head and closed his eyes. "Gus. You had to kill him, or he'd see that my coma was not natural! Luckily, Gus' allergic reaction alerted the doctor to the poison. Gus did not die."

"No, I didn't," Gus sluggishly agreed from where he was propped up against the wall.

Dr. Pines nodded. "But now he will."

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How was this chapter?

Sorry it took so long to update—I've been pretty busy. I'll try to update more often!


	8. The Voicemail in the Hotel

I'm so sorry for the long wait! I'll try to update faster!

Thank you so much IGetBoredEasily, Nayha, and Psycho4Life for your great reviews!

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 **Previously**

 _Shawn dipped his head and closed his eyes. "Gus. You had to kill him, or he'd see that my coma was not natural! Luckily, Gus' allergic reaction alerted the doctor to the poison. Gus did not die."_

 _"No, I didn't," Gus sluggishly agreed from where he was propped up against the wall._

 _Dr. Pines nodded. "But now he will."_

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Something was wrong.

Juliet knew that she had her undercover case was as good as solved. That wasn't the problem.

It was Shawn.

Ever since Shawn had been in the coma, Juliet couldn't bring herself to visit. There was always an excuse: she was busy, he was healing, he might want space, she didn't want to barge in. When the undercover case came in, Juliet told herself that she only begged to be on it because she wanted to solve another case.

It couldn't have been because Gus was poisoned.

Juliet looked at the time and sat down heavily in one of the many armchairs in her hotel room. She didn't have to go to the drug deal until late at night, so there was time to catch up on the latest news at the station.

Because deep down, Juliet knew that her boyfriend was in trouble.

Checking her phone, Juliet saw twelve missed calls from Lassiter. Strange. Lassiter only ever called when there was some kind of emergency, and he only ever called once!

Her nervousness spiked.

Juliet chose Lassiter's most recent voicemail, and his gruff, worried voice filled the hotel room. _"O'Hara,"_ he said. _"I know you want to avoid Spencer and maybe that's why you haven't returned my calls. Or maybe you've actually been busy. Either way, I'm done trying to convince you to come down here. Spencer and Guster could be dead, but it looks like you don't care. Bye."_

Juliet stared down at the phone in horror. What had she missed? Juliet quickly chose the first voicemail left.

 _"O'Hara,"_ Lassiter said. _"Spencer and Guster have been kidnapped by Spencer's doctor, Dr. Pines. It looks like he was the one to poison Guster, and put Spencer in that coma. Come down here. McNab and I will check out the scene. If you want, meet us there."_

Lassiter then read out an address in the voicemail, which Juliet hurriedly scribbled down on a near pad of paper.

She quickly packed her bag up, left a tip, and drove off before five minutes had passed.

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Lassiter took a right.

"One more left and we're there," McNab offered.

Lassiter groaned. The drive had already been an hour long, and the sun was just beginning to set. "We better find Spencer and Guster there," he snapped. "Otherwise, I will be very angry."

McNab looked anxiously at the Head Detective. "Yes, sir." Thinking quickly, he knew what would help Detective Lassiter calm down.

When McNab switched on the radio, Lassiter tensed all the muscles in his body. _"You used to call me on my cell phone, late nights when you need my love,"_ sang the radio.

Lassiter couldn't stand it. First of all, the song was horrible. The man singing it was a pathetic jerk who couldn't stand it when his girlfriend made friends. Also, as painful as the awkward silence in the car had been, irritating sound was even worse.

But Lassiter didn't have the heart to turn it off. McNab was mouthing along to the lyrics, and the glow on his face was not something Lassiter wanted to crush.

Instead, Lassiter pressed his foot on the gas.

The sooner they reached the house, the better.

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Shawn looked at Gus hopelessly.

Gus looked at Shawn hopelessly.

Dr. Pines looked at both of them evilly.

"Take me first," Shawn croaked out, switching his gaze up to where Dr. Pines stood across the room. "Gus did nothing to you."

Gus jerked his head sharply, feeling shoots of pain bounce around in his head. "No, Shawn, you are not going to be heroic," he said. To Dr. Pines, he added, "I think Shawn is mistaken. You'll be wanting to kill me first. After all, I'm more of a danger than him."

Shawn squinted at his friend. "What is that supposed to mean? I'm a psychic! I can contact the police in my head. Oh, Lassie!" Shawn called out, pretending to get a vision. "Lassie! Right now, we are at—"

Dr. Pines jumped forward and held Shawn's mouth shut. Shawn blinked. "I'm not taking any chances," the doctor growled. "Psychic dies first."

Gus sat up. "That's not fair! Is he more special than me just because he's psychic? What about the fact that I—" he cast around for a good lie. "—am wired! The police are hearing everything I say right now. Hello, Detective Lassiter! Right now, we are at—"

Dr. Pines shot an arm out to hold Gus' mouth shut as well. He glared suspiciously at them. Both Shawn and Gus tried to look innocent.

After a pause, Dr. Pines laughed and released them. "Good one! You both are spectacular actors. You especially," he added, pointing to Gus.

Gus stuck his tongue out at Shawn, who returned the favor.

"You," Dr. Pines continued, "almost had me. But just one look into your eyes, and I could tell that you were lying. I'm used to scanning patients, and many dull down the descriptions of their injuries."

Shawn rolled his eyes at Gus. _What a dude!_ he mouthed.

Gus laughed silently.

Dr. Pines laughed again. "To think that I believed you—two injured guys who don't know where they've been taken! As if the cops would even know where you are! As if you could even get the cops to come!"

Just then, a very faint pounding was coming from the front door of wherever they were.

And the unmistakable sound of Lassiter's voice rang out. "Police! Open up!"

Shawn and Gus bumped fists.

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What did you think? Please review!


	9. The Blood in the Handshake

I'm so sorry! I feel horrible for not updating in so long! For future notice, the longest I'll leave a story hanging (that I'm planning to continue writing) is seven days. Beyond that, the story is lost unless I change my mind.

Thank you for the reviews, Psycho4Life, Nayha, and Jen (btw, Jen, Shawn will be whumped so hard ;)! This chapter would not be possible without your continued support!

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 **Previously**

 _Dr. Pines laughed again. "To think that I believed you—two injured guys who don't know where they've been taken! As if the cops would even know where you are! As if you could even get the cops to come!"_

 _Just then, a very faint pounding was coming from the front door of wherever they were/_

 _And the unmistakable sound of Lassiter's voice rang out. "Police! Open up!"_

 _Shawn and Gus bumped fists._

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Dr. Pines quickly cast his eyes around the basement. "Which one of you…which one—" He gave a panicked glance in the direction of the door.

From the front of the house, Lassiter called out, "Police! Open up or we will!"

The sound seemed to jerk Dr. Pines out of his panic. Quickly, Dr. Pines seized Shawn and Gus by their shoulders and shoved them both in the corner of the basement.

Shawn winced as he was dragged, the rough floors irritating his previously healing ribs. Gus had to clench his teeth to keep bile from spewing out of his mouth due to the immense pounding in his skull.

Shawn glared up at Dr. Pines, taking a deep breath, which he regretted when he burst out into a coughing fit. Each cough sent a shiver of pain through his body. "You won't win," Shawn whispered when he had finished coughing. His voice came out raspy, and although Shawn had tried to sound menacing, the pain made his words weak.

Dr. Pines snorted. He reached down, and without warning, bashed both Shawn's and Gus' heads against the basement wall.

As they both slumped to the floor, unconscious, Dr. Pines straightened his tie and put a pleasant smile on his face.

After all, he had some visitors to attend to.

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"For the last time, McNab, let me knock the door down! I know Spencer's in there!" Lassiter growled, keeping a hand on his holster.

"Detective, with all due respect," McNab answered uncomfortably for what seemed like the thousandth time, "but this guy could walk free if we don't follow procedure down to the letter."

Lassiter turned sharply at the words. _Oh, how the tables have turned. Didn't I used to have that outlook on my job? Since when did I follow hunches like these? Since when did I care about Spencer's safety?_

The questions didn't scare Lassiter as much as they used to when he first felt the changes. Sure, Spencer was a pain in the ass and his methods were…unconventional, to say the least, but more police cases were solved, Santa Barbara was safer, and the police station was more cheery with Spencer around.

And whatever Lassiter said, he respected Spencer very much.

Finally, _finally,_ the front door of the house opened.

Dr. Pines stood in the doorway, a smile on his face and his hands in his suit pockets. "Can I help you?" he asked jovially.

McNab smiled at him, but Lassiter knew better. "Where are Spencer and Guster?" he barked.

Dr. Pines blinked at him. "I don't know about this Guster, but wasn't Spencer my patient?" A look of understanding dawned over him. "Ah, yes, he was the one in the coma."

"Cut the crap!" Lassiter yelled. He had no patience for the man when Spencer and Guster could be dead in that house, for all he knew!

McNab pulled Lassiter away from the doorway. "He seems pretty innocent." Turning back to Dr. Pines, McNab stuck out his hand. "Sorry for wasting your time, sir."

Dr. Pines shook the hand. "It's quite all right. Mistakes happen."

Dr. Pines shut the door behind them, and Lassiter trudged to the car, mind whirling. So it wasn't the doctor in the video? Did the nurse put Spencer in a coma?

Lassiter quickly got in his car and put the key in the ignition. "Hurry up, McNab!"

The young detective hurried to get into his seat, but as he pulled the buckle around him, McNab froze.

"What is it now?" Lassiter groaned. "We just wasted hours following a false lead; I want to get out of here as soon as possible!"

But then McNab held his hand up to the streetlight pouring into the car, and Lassiter gasped.

McNab's hand was covered in blood.

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"Stupid cops," Dr. Pines grumbled as he headed back down to the basement.

His two victims were still passed out on the ground. Spencer looked particularly bad: each breath of his was a sharp gasp and a pool of blood was forming underneath him, probably from some injury on his back.

Guster's head was dripping blood, but aside from that, the pharmaceutical salesman seemed to be peacefully sleeping.

Dr. Pines snarled at the men on his floor.

He reached out to shake Spencer awake, but the light caught something red glistening on his hand. Blood.

Dr. Pines cursed. Obviously, when he knocked Spencer and Guster unconscious, their blood had covered his hands.

Would the blood stain his hands?

But Dr. Pines realized with a dawning horror that he'd made a big mistake.

His hand was covered in Spencer's and Guster's blood.

And he'd gone and shaken the cop's hand!

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Juliet pressed hard on the horn of her car. "The light's green!" she shouted at the person in front of her.

The car ahead slowly inched forward across the intersection. Luckily, Juliet was making a right, so she sped away quickly.

Juliet usually had more patience, but the weight of what was going on had hit her like a ton of bricks.

Juliet had been an idiot, avoiding Shawn. She never should have taken the undercover case or even left Shawn's side when he came out of the coma. She should have been there for him when he was hurt, but she hadn't, and now he might die without her ever saying goodbye!

So if Juliet was driving recklessly, she didn't care. All that mattered was getting to the house.

Just as the street to turn off on came into view, Juliet went to turn, and missed the other reckless driver heading in the opposite direction.

The cars crashed with a bang.

Suddenly, Juliet was thrown forward as her car skidded over to a house, knocking into the mailbox.

With a loud bang, the airbag exploded, knocking Juliet back.

Her last thought was of Shawn.

Then everything disappeared.

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Don't worry! Juliet will not die!

Also, please review!


	10. The Cadaver in the Car

Once again, thank you, Jen, Nayha, and Psycho4Life!

Also, Happy late Halloween! :D

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 **Previously**

 _The cars crashed with a bang._

 _Suddenly, Juliet was thrown forward as her car skidded over to a house, knocking into the mailbox._

 _With a loud bang, the airbag exploded, knocking Juliet back._

 _Her last thought was of Shawn._

 _Then everything disappeared._

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Shawn blearily blinked, and the basement swam into view. Taking inventory, he found that each breath sent sharp pains up his body, the cuts on his back were definitely reopened, and his head hurt worse than when he had to listen to Gus' boring pharmaceutical salesman speech.

That said a lot.

Speaking of Gus, Shawn turned and saw that his best friend was passed out in a pool of his own blood. "Gus," Shawn tried to say, but his voice didn't seem to work.

Shawn scrabbled at the wall, trying to stand up. Unfortunately, there were no handholds, so Shawn decided to crawl across the room.

He wasn't sure where Dr. Pines had gone, but Shawn was going to escape.

Shawn heaved his body forward, ignoring the pounding in his head, and began slowly crawling towards the door. He imagined that Lassie was just beyond the door. _Just get to Lassie. Lassie will arrest Dr. Pines if you get to him._

When Shawn reached the bottom of the steps after what seemed like ages, he stopped. He couldn't breathe well; each breath was a painful gasp. Also, were those _voices_ coming from the other side of the door?

Shawn squeezed his eyes shut. He could do this. Shawn slowly hauled his body up each step. One. Two. Three. Four.

Just as Shawn reached up to open the door, the door banged open, causing a horrifying crunch when it slammed into his face.

Shawn imagined Lassie was there, holding him and begging him to stay awake.

Shawn fell asleep.

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Lassiter stared in anguish at Spencer's still form in his arms. "McNab!" he shouted. "Call 911!"

As McNab hastily pulled out his phone, Lassiter could not stop the guilt that formed in his chest.

In the car, Lassiter and McNab had stared in shock at the blood covering McNab's hands. "That has to be Spencer's!" Lassiter had exclaimed, throwing open the car door.

When they had gotten to the front door, Lassiter and McNab saw a car speeding out from the garage. Inside was .

Cursing, Lassiter had radioed for backup, and entered the house with McNab close behind.

The rooms were all empty, but Lassiter had had a feeling about the basement…

And after kicking the door open, this is what he had found.

"The ambulances are on their way," McNab reported, jerking Lassiter out of the memory.

Lassiter looked down at Spencer and felt for a pulse. Luckily, the fake psychic was still alive. Otherwise, Lassiter would have been the one to kill him.

A sharp ringing cut through the air.

Lassiter's phone.

O'Hara was calling.

With a bad feeling, Lassiter slowly pressed talk.

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Juliet deliriously pressed the phone closer to her head when her partner picked up. "What is it, O'Hara?" he asked, sounding tired.

Juliet smiled. "I wanted to hear your voice."

She shifted a little in her car seat, smearing blood over the seatbelt.

"Why? What happened?" Now Lassiter sounded downright scared.

"I'm fine," Juliet insisted, drawing out her words. "I was coming for you!" She giggled.

"O'Hara. Where are you?" Lassiter asked her, sounding scarily serious.

"Right around the corner!" Juliet exclaimed, unbuckling her seat belt.

Lassiter didn't respond, and Juliet looked at her phone.

The words on her phone were strangely blurry and too bright, so Juliet guessed Lassiter had hung up.

 _I'll just take a nap_ , she decided, and the phone fell from her grip.

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Lassiter sped over to his car and climbed in, ignoring McNab's questions. Something was seriously wrong with O'Hara, and if she really was around the corner, Lassiter would help her.

The car turned the corner and Lassiter gasped in shock. There had been a collision—one car was looking beat-up on someone's lawn, and the other was flipped over.

Lassiter jerked his car to a stop and ran out, heading over to the car on the lawn. _O'Hara's car._

As Lassiter ran over, he called 911 and reported the crash.

"What a mess this night has been. Spencer and Guster are half dead, O'Hara's in a car crash, and Pines escaped." Lassiter mumbled as he opened the car door.

O'Hara was in there, unconscious.

She mostly looked okay, but her shoulder and forehead were bleeding, and she probably had a head injury, judging by the way she was talking on the phone earlier.

Lassiter came to his senses as he realized there was another car involved in the crash.

That person was probably dead.

Was O'Hara driving recklessly? Did she mindlessly kill some civilian?

Lassiter walked over to the other car, feeling some sort of recognition as he looked at it. Lassiter had seen that car recently.

Shoving open the upside-down car door, Lassiter gasped when he saw who was inside.

Dr. Pines.

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The next few hours were a blur.

Lassiter helped O'Hara get into an ambulance, drove over and helped Guster and Spencer get into an ambulance, and confirmed that Dr. Pines did not need an ambulance. He was dead.

Then there was the business of calling people. He called Henry Spencer first of all; the man would be livid if he was not informed. Next, Lassiter had to call Winnie and Bill Guster to tell them about their son. That call had been a hard one.

The next call Lassiter made was purely business. He updated Chief Vick on what had happened, telling about not only the night's events, but what had happened leading up to them.

After that ordeal, Lassiter drove over to the hospital and sat in the waiting room.

If it had been anyone else, he would have left to give a statement, but this was _O'Hara._ This was _Spencer._ This was _Guster._

And this was not okay.

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	11. The Kiss in the Hospital

Hooray! Two chapters in a day!

Thank you so much for reviewing so fast!

Jen: Whoah! So many pineapple smoothies! It's going to be hard trying to keep these from Shawn…

Nayha: Thank you so much for the great review!

Psycho4Life: I'm glad he's dead, too :P

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 **Previously**

 _He updated Chief Vick on what had happened, telling about not only the night's events, but what had happened leading up to them._

 _After that ordeal, Lassiter drove over to the hospital and sat in the waiting room._

 _If it had been anyone else, he would have left to give a statement, but this was_ O'Hara _. This was_ Spencer. _This was_ Guster.

 _And this was not okay._

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Gus woke up in the most comfy bed he'd ever laid in. He attempted to stretch, but found that the wires hooked up on his arms prevented the motion.

Gus blinked. So he wasn't at his parent's house, as he'd guessed.

Looking around, Gus found himself in a hospital bed. Memories came flooding into his head.

The last thing he could remember…Dr. Pines walking over to him and Shawn in the basement.

Gus assumed Lassiter had saved them all.

"You're awake," came a voice. Gus looked over to the door, where a woman was standing in a white coat. "I'm Dr. Smith," she said with a warm smile.

"How bad is it?" Gus croaked, motioning to his body. It wasn't the most clever thing to ask, but Dr. Smith understood what he meant.

"You came in with a severe concussion, a mild case of dehydration, and some blood loss. Fortunately, you've made a good recovery in the past two days, and as long as you don't jostle your head, you can be released."

Gus nodded and allowed Dr. Smith to unhook him from the machines. "Can I see my friend?" he asked casually, trying not to sound too eager.

"Which one?" the doctor responded.

Gus furrowed his brow. Had Lassiter been hurt? "Shawn Spencer."

Dr. Smith nodded and led him to a room two doors down.

Shawn was in there, laying awake and watching tv on the hospital bed. At Gus' footsteps, Shawn turned off the tv. "Gus!"

"Are you okay, Shawn?" Gus asked worriedly.

Shawn quirked a brow. "Do you think my dad would have gone home to shower if I wasn't?"

Gus smirked, realizing that Henry would rather fight an angry Lassiter in a dark alley than leave his injured son's side. "How are you doing?"

Shawn waved his hand. "I'm not okay. I've been stuck in this boring hospital room, and there's nothing to do but watch tv!"

"Shawn!" Gus exclaimed, taking the seat next to his best friend's bed. "What are your injuries?"

Sighing, Shawn realized he couldn't escape the inevitable. His dad would be willing to tell Gus if he wasn't. "I had a concussion, cracked ribs, lots of cuts reopened, small puncture in the lung again…"

Gus narrowed his eyes. "Your throat didn't collapse, right?"

"No!" Shawn exclaimed. "I'm fine, buddy!" he added quietly, and held up a questioning bump.

Gus didn't hesitate to fist bump Shawn back.

Something didn't make sense, however. "My doctor said that another friend was in the hospital. Is Lassiter okay?"

"Lassie-face is just great!" Shawn smiled, but his happy expression turned dark. "It's Jules. She was driving over to where Dr. Pines was keeping us, and…Dr. Pines tried fleeing…their cars crashed. Dr. Pines is dead."

Gus gasped. "Is Jules okay?"

"She had severe brain damage and a broken leg," Shawn said uncertainly. "She hasn't woken up."

"Jules is going to be just fine." Gus couldn't tell if he was trying to convince himself or Shawn.

Just then, Henry entered the room.

"Dad, where have you been?" Shawn asked, irritable. "You called and said you were at the hospital ten minutes ago!"

"Juliet's awake," Henry reported. "She wants to see you."

Shawn groaned. "Let me guess, neither of us are allowed to visit the other's room! We could always do Facetime, I guess—"

Henry cut him off. "I spoke to your doctor. You're allowed to visit her."

It took some effort to get Shawn off the bed, but in the end, he was able to stay upright while leaning on Henry heavily.

Luckily, Juliet's room was only across the hall, so they didn't have to walk far.

Juliet was in the bed, looking tired and beat-up but cheerful. Lassiter was in the room too, perched awkwardly on the chair next to the hospital bed.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Shawn asked with concern.

Juliet smiled at his careful tone. "I'm fine. I can't remember anything after the crash until the hospital, but I'm healing really well."

Shawn shifted.

"Shawn," Juliet said hesitantly. "We need to talk."

"I'll be going, then," Gus smiled. He walked out of the room, closely followed by a smirking Henry and panicked Lassiter.

When they had left, Shawn sat next to Juliet on the bed.

"I'm so sorry, Shawn!" Juliet burst out immediately. "I was so nervous you didn't like me or want me, and I didn't want to be in the way of you recovering!" She looked down. "I'll understand if you break up with me."

Juliet's directness made Shawn want to be the same way. He slowly pulled a box from the pocket of his hospital gown.

Juliet gasped when Shawn got down on his knees. She felt tears spark in her eyes. "You don't have to…"

Shawn smiled and looked up at her. Slowly, he opened the box. Inside was a sparkling diamond ring. "Juliet O'Hara, I love you so much. You are the light in my life, and if I wait any longer, our lives will be gone. It's been eight years since I've known you, and I've enjoyed every second. Will you marry me?"

Juliet took a shaky breath, and Shawn's cheeks colored, but Juliet had no intention whatsoever of turning him down on his offer. This was the moment she had been dreaming of; the moment she had believed would never come when Shawn was in a coma. "I'll marry the crap out of you, Shawn Spencer!"

Shawn's whole face lit up. He slowly stood up. Leaning over the hospital bed, he gently pressed his lips against Juliet's, and the two shared a passionate kiss, forgetting whatever troubles real life held.

In that moment, he knew.

Everything was going to be just fine.

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THE END


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